Optical system for lighting equipment, especially for a signal lamp for motor vehicles

Abstract

An optical system for a lighting device, comprising a light-guiding optical part configured for spreading light beams generated by light sources situated opposite to a rear side of the optical part. Light beams are coupled into the light-guiding optical part, and after passing through the light-guiding optical part the light beams are emitted through its output surface. Rear side of light-guiding optical part is equipped with macroscopic cavities, each pair of adjacent macroscopic cavities forming between themselves an optical segment, whose two sides, which separate the optical segment from the pair of macroscopic cavities, comprise a reflective surface. The optical segment comprises a rear surface on the rear side, opposite to which a light source is positioned. The reflective surfaces are configured for reflecting a part of the light beams, which were coupled through the rear surface into the optical segment, and then directing them to the output surface.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical system for a lighting device comprising a plate-like shaped light-guiding optical part configured for spreading light beams generated by light sources situated opposite to a rear side of the optical part, through which rear side light beams are coupled into the light-guiding optical part, and after passing through the light-guiding optical part the light beams are emitted through its output surface,
 wherein the rear side of the light-guiding optical part is equipped with macroscopic cavities, each pair of adjacent macroscopic cavities forming between themselves a first optical segment, 
 wherein the first optical segment comprises a first side surface, a second side surface, and a rear surface that lies on the rear side of the optical part and connects the first side surface and the second side surface, 
 wherein the first side surface comprises a first reflective surface and the second side surface comprises a second reflective surface, 
 wherein a light source is positioned opposite to and spaced apart from the rear surface so that a first portion of the light beams from the light source falls directly on the first reflective surface after passage through the rear surface, 
 wherein a second portion of the light beams from the light source falls directly on the second reflective surface after passage through the rear surface, 
 wherein, after passage through the rear surface, a third portion of the light beams from the light source falls directly on the output surface without having been reflected by either of the first reflective surface or the second reflective surface, 
 wherein, when viewed from inside of the first optical segment, the first reflective surface comprises a concave shape and the second reflective surface comprises a convex shape or a planar shape, and 
 wherein the rear surface has a planar shape. 
 
     
     
       2. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the light-guiding optical part comprises dispersive elements for diffusion dispersion in its inner structure. 
     
     
       3. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the second reflective surface comprises the convex shape. 
     
     
       4. The optical system according to  claim 3 , wherein the light source is situated in a source focal point of the concave shape of the first reflective surface, to which the light source is assigned. 
     
     
       5. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein opposite to the rear surface there is just one light source positioned for emitting a luminous flux of light beams within dispersion limits from a longitudinal axis of the luminous flux. 
     
     
       6. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of optical segments, wherein the rear surface of the first optical segment lies in a plane which is not perpendicular to an optical axis or a longitudinal axis of at least any luminous flux emitted by the light source not perpendicular to the optical axis. 
     
     
       7. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of optical segments, wherein the reflective surface of the first optical segment is inclined towards a longitudinal axis of a luminous flux emitted by the light source to the first optical segment, so that after refraction on the output surface, the light beams are directed in a direction of an optical axis or in a direction close to the direction of the optical axis. 
     
     
       8. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of optical segments, wherein all the optical segments are of the same shape and size, and a longitudinal axis of luminous fluxes emitted by a plurality of light sources to all optical segments have identical direction. 
     
     
       9. The optical system according to  claim 8 , wherein rear surfaces of all the optical segments lie in the same plane. 
     
     
       10. The optical system according to  claim 8 , wherein the optical segments each comprise a rear surface, and the all the macroscopic cavities have the same width on their entire length. 
     
     
       11. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of optical segments, wherein the first optical segment differs from some of the other optical segments in its shape and/or its size. 
     
     
       12. The optical system according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical system comprises a plurality of optical segments, wherein the first optical segment differs from some of the other optical segments based on a length of the reflective surface, a direction of a plane in which the rear surface of the first optical segment is situated, a shape of the first reflective surface, a shape of the second reflective surface, or a direction of a longitudinal axis of a luminous flux emitted by the light source.